Examination of the Level of Service of the 2K Bus Line in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Proposed Improvements

摘要

The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of service of the 2K bus line in Thessaloniki, Greece, and to make proposals for its improvement. The paper is divided into four parts. In the first part, a questionnaire survey that was answered online and on-field by 137 people is used to determine the current situation and level of service from the users' perspective. According to the satisfaction score of users regarding certain factors (timeliness, security, comfort, and reliability) and how these affect their travel experience, the overall satisfaction score of traveling on the 2K bus line is calculated. In the second part, real data provided by the public transport operator are analyzed. In the third part, the problems based on the results of the questionnaire and the real conditions of the bus line are identified, and in the fourth and final part, possible improvements are proposed. The results show an overall satisfaction score of 26.7%, with the lowest satisfaction rate being related to the comfort factor and the highest one with reliability. The real data analysis leads to several conclusions such as low average speeds, deviations between the estimated and the actual travel times, and the fact that one out of three bus itineraries is not executed at all. The methodology followed in this paper can be used to examine the level of service of different bus lines or whole bus line networks, as it is possible to be adjusted to the specific needs of each research.